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another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 4:31 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Worked on it a little more last night. Lots of details to do. I cut and welded the adjustable shifter tube, painted the shocks orange, and installed the front sway bar. I want to keep it moving, but I want to take the time to do the details.


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joescoolcustoms
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 6:54 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Just to be clear, I do not think the split boots are bad to use. They are a super resource to have and use if you need to replace one on an existing vehicle or do not have the time, skill level or want to pull the axles out of a transaxle to put on the solid boots.

I just like using the solid boots on a ground up build where my transaxle was pulled apart for a re-build.

Because you already purchased the solid boots and are still at the point of being able to install them is why I suggested to use them.

As a side note, until I saw a video similar to the one I posted, I went through the trouble of pressing the axle tube out of the end casting, slipped the boot on and pressed the tube back into the end casting. Glad someone else showed me how to do it in an easier fashion.
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Mon May 01, 2017 5:03 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

I have continued to work on my buggy. The weather is finally breaking and I miss driving it. Last weekend I installed the seats. Even though you cant see them, under the protective seat covers is some very nice buckets from a mazda 3. This proved to be a real pain to install. I had to disconnect the original lower seat mounts and weld up new mounts from angle iron to bolt in. The passenger seat was far worse it was mounted to the original floor pan at a different height and kind of a side mount, this really made it a pain to convert to a flat pan at the right height. I next installed some economical seat belts with the shoulder strap instead of the original lap belt. I was very happy with the way these turned out. I next fabbed up a front bumper mount, and yes I know it is upside down...lol. With the weather getting pretty nice here in Michigan I thought it over and decided to delay my motor rebuild in favor of an earlier completion date. My motor is a bit smoky and a little tired, but I am sure it will make it another summer. I am inexperienced at motor rebuild work so to be able to just concentrate on that this winter will be beneficial. I will gather parts and knowledge as I enjoy driving my buggy this summer. So....this weekend I got quite a bit done. I installed the drive shaft boots, motor, clutch cable, throttle cable, master cylinder, pedal assembly. I installed the pedal assembly and realized the pedal rearward stop is controlled by a stop in the pan originally. I proudly installed my pedals, to have them fall backwards to the floor. A bit puzzled I inspected the assembly and realized by changing the floor I had removed the stop. I cut a piece of angle iron and mounted it to rectify this. I removed all the engine tins, and painted them orange to match my planned body color. I removed the carbs and everything else. I will at least go through all the linkage ect to make sure it works well this summer. Next I will do the brake lines and continue to get gaskets ect to get the motor running. I am hoping maybe a couple months to have my buggy on the road.


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hillmotorsports
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PostPosted: Mon May 01, 2017 5:22 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

What are the lights on the front bumper?
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Mon May 01, 2017 8:23 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Just some cheap empi fog lights...thought they looked cool. I might leave them maybe not. If you look in the previous posts you can see how the look on the buggy.
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 6:00 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Well the last couple weekends have allowed me to complete quite a few tasks on my buggy. I ran all the brake lines. I installed a new master cylinder and went with the Volvo cylinder mounted reservoir. I think this is a much cleaner look. I installed the throttle and clutch cabling. I installed the dual carbs with new gaskets, and finished hooking up the all the carb linkage.
With that done I decided to try to get it to run. I hooked up the ignition wires, exhaust, propped the gas tank and battery on the tires. I made a quick little wire set to wire it up. I tested it and the battery was good enough it turned over. I went and got some gas and fired it up. It ran terrible , back firing a bit ect. I figured sitting maybe did it. After a while I realized something was not right. I googled again the firing order and realized the first picture I looked at was wrong, I found another picture , switched the 1 and 2 wire and she was purring like last year. I was pretty happy. This week I bled the brakes. I had a pretty good pushrod tube oil leak so I purchased some scat spring loaded triple o ring tubes. I installed those with some new scat stainless clip on valve covers. I then decided it was time to try the body to chassis fit. I had made the chassis and used 2 1/2" lowering spindles. I figured before I get too far I better try fitting it together. I was very happy to see it fit well and had the look I was hoping for. I took some pics and was very happy. I again asked my wife to give me a hand moving it and propped the body on some stands. I noticed a few places the fiberglass was damaged, around the battery box and a spot up front. I ground down the areas a did a quick fix to restore the original strength. I flipped the body back over and removed all the snaps, lights ect. to get it ready for paint work. While the body was out I decided it was time for a LONG overdue shop cleaning. My shop has become a disaster with this buggy rebuild. Until this I had kept it perfect, every drawer and bin labeled. I had went through every screw, washer, nail ect to separate it so I could quickly find what I needed. I have said if you cant find what you want when you need it , you better just throw it out, if it is lost when you need it it will not do you any good anyways. It still is fairly dirty, I will need a floor degreasing, power washing ect even though I thankfully put old boards down to keep it from getting too dirty .... but it is a lot better than it was. I next will prep the body and finish up some small details on the motor. We actually here in Michigan will have a couple days over 80 degrees, I am hoping to maybe have my buggy on the road in about three weeks.....cant wait to drive it again!!!



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Redneckgearhead
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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 7:14 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Nice progress! Yes sometimes you gotta do what I refer to as a "shop reset."
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:07 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

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Well it has been a LONG year of no progress on my buggy!! I had a decision to make that I knew would impact my buggy progress. My wife and I had been trying to hire a contractor to add a attached garage to our house but after hiring two contractors who failed to show and a couple other failing attempts I decided If I wanted it done I had to do it myself. I was looking to have someone frame , roof it ect. I was not wanting to undertake tearing into our house to attach the roofs together. with the economy increasing I guess it was not enough money. Not really a construction guy, but I had built a pole barn a couple years ago....I decided to try, I told my wife I would try to submit the complicated blueprints...from every angle and elevation and see what happens. I quickly with no problem received a green light. The 3 car attached garage consumed literally every waking second that was light for the entire summer and fall. I continued to work full time plus my son decided to play hockey which was four days a week. I was putting up the last downspout as the first snow fell last year. It was a tremendous learning experience and accomplishment...Me and my wife absolutely did everything on the build. My brother and a couple others did help on the concrete work. Now I have a great place to park my buggy this summer!!

The economy is great here in MI. but my place of business doing govt military contracting is slow so I am taking some time off. I decided what better time to rekindle my work on my buggy...

I really missed my buggy last summer!!!! As summer approached I knew I could never finish both projects. I loved driving my buggy out to the water ect...So with some time off my story will continue ....and be ready this summer!!!
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:14 pm    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

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I started working on the body last fall..I completed the body work and primed it. I also carpeted the tunnel, and hooked up the shifter to make sure everything lined up. I welded in a adjustable length rod adapter in case I had any alignment issues since I installed the new berries frame horns. It appeared to work ok sitting...lol.
That is where I left off last winter.
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 4:47 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

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I decided on my start back to do the tasks most complicated first. I did not like the look of the gas filler stuck through the lower corner of the hood so I started with that. I read someone avoided the gas fume problem during welding by using a shop vac to blow enough air to stop the fumes. I used this method with no problem at all. I cut off the filler tube flat, installed the hood, and used a long drill bit to locate the new spot through the hood and tank. I shortened up the filler tube welded and painted. I then determined a 5" hole in the fiberglass was enough to access the cap.
I ran the new fuel line through the hollow frame rails, along with the hydraulic lines of the rear brakes. It all seems to work.
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 5:22 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

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Next I decided to design and install the gauge cluster face plate. I knew I wanted temp, oil pressure, and volt gauges. I also installed my new gps speedo. I also wanted to include a gauge for my new fuel sending unit, and the switches. I also wanted switches for the seat heaters. The last time I ran my buggy a seat heater and a cheap harbor freight hand warmer modified with suction cups for a defroster to the windshield allowed me to use my buggy throughout the winter....it gets cold here in mi. My first attempt at a face plate was too long and when sitting in the car my knees hit it. I condensed everything down and it seemed to have what I wanted and looked fine.
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cbeck
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:10 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Nice job on the garage. Wifey pick her spot yet? 16x7 door? My inner redneck truck guy is curious if you had considered a taller door?
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:43 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Thx...No...my 4×4 3500 dually fits in there fine...I would never go bigger than that. My wife thinks she owns it all...lol..
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oprn
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:56 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Nice to see you back with more progress! Life is like that, I started a fresh engine build a year and a half ago, Mom pass away and I lost the use of the shop in town I was working in at the same time so all my projects got boxed up in a hurry and put in my tiny garage to disappear for ever it seems in a huge pile of clutter!

I am finally back on track again... I think... now where is that thermostat... did I put the bolts in this box or... ?

Enough of my frustration - I see you have a nice new garage and still working out of the old shop? Wink Hmmm... Aw well at least you have good weather there in the winter! I envy you guys in the "banana belt", drive it all year around? Ha! Try -30 with a -40 wind chill for weeks at a time, then the wind goes away and it drops to -40 for real for 3 days running.

There I am whining again! Sorry! There is an upside to our cold, we can trust the ice on the lakes for some winter fun. Ice racing is such a hoot!

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Keep up the good work, we are counting on you for inspiration! Very Happy

P.S. Yellow is where it's at! But orange is good too. Laughing
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:05 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

wow,, I thought it was cold here....guess not...
Never tried mine on the ice...
Should get mine completed mid spring!!!
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:23 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

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Next I worked on the Electrical. Since I am familiar with military wire harnesses at work I decided to do my own. Mostly based on the terrible drawbacks from my previous existing wiring I knew what I wanted to change. I ran a nice ground bar from the frame with a nice copper plate and screws for very convenient grounding. I ran 2, 4 circuit fuses panels borrowed from a old tank project. I wire labeled all wires for future identification. I soldered all ends and terminals and heatshrink. I also ran all wires to the hood long enough to remove the hood without disconnecting all the wires. I changed the lousy taillight bulb housings. the old incorporated ones were very finicky. My plan was to run just enough wires to make it street legal to take it out for a quick ride.
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:57 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

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So my plan was to take it for a ride before I sunk too much money into my buggy. I had ripped my buggy down to absolutely nothing!!! I had cut and welded on new frame horns. Replaced the complete bottom of the whole tunnel. a whole new aluminum floor pan, lowered ball joints, everything was new or rebuilt. I was worried with all the metal fab... especially considering I am not a seasoned metal fab person...that if it sat weird or dog tracked or some weird alignment issue I may need to purchase a berrien frame. I did it just to say it was one more thing I did myself. So with the electrical completed enough to be on the road I needed a seat option. I purchased some used seats from a mazda...very nice seats that I could not get to fit in the small floor pan area correctly. From reading this site I found people that are successfully using some ebay seats. I browsed some seats and decided to chance them based on the size included sliders and matching colors and fantastic price. I can tell you I am very impressed with these Chinese made seats. I slapped a loose seat in. I bolted on the windshield, put on the new license tag and installed the plate, loaded up my insurance and reg ....warmed it up and went for a ride. First just down the block....the ride seemed fantastic...I decided to risk it out on the really messed up mi. highway....like a Cadillac....Really... I had previously ran it with all of the front end torsion plates....Terrible ride!!When I put it all together I tried removing most plates but it sagged a bit....take it all apart. I left it with 1/2 the original plates. It really made a huge difference in the way it rode. I was so happy to find out my hard fab work had not been in vane!!
I cant wait to drive it this summer!!!!
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57BLITZ
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:04 pm    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Successful "shake-down" run . . . very cool . . . congratulations! Very Happy
Don't know how I missed it before . . . looks like a FiberFab Clodhopper!
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 5:50 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

The track hoe operators tell me the frost is down 7 feet in the ground this year, the ice fishermen say the lake ice is over 2 feet thick. No snow cover to speak of for most of the winter and the temps got down there early. I am struggling with our sewer freezing off. Can't wait for this "global warming" to kick in!! Laughing

Back to the Buggy - is that Kadrons I see on your engine? If it is did you get lucky and get a set with electric chokes?

Tell me more about your front spring leaf mod. I need to do something to level out our Buggy and bring the trailing arms back to a normal ride angle. Someone suggested taking out one set of leaves completely and replacing them with a bar but then there is a problem of fastening the two trailing arms. Need to fabricate spacers a collars or something. It's been many years since I took a Bug front end apart did you have to put something in the ends and center to take up the space left when you removed the leaves?

Thanks Merv

P.S. Wondering what you have planned for a filler cap. Ours came with a nice one and I wondered where they got it - until I was at the lake and saw the same one on several fiberglass boats! I could post a picture if you like.
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chriswitvw
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 11:01 am    Post subject: Re: another buggy tale..with a good ending..well hopefully Reply with quote

Hello 57 blitz....yes after all the work...very happy to drive it again!!!
And yes...good eye...a clod hopper...nice thick fiberglass...I really like it!!!


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